STAAR

Is there a time limit?

• Yes. TEA established a seven (7) hour time limit for all STAAR assessments. TEA notes that tests are designed to be finished in 2 hours however all students are provided the majority of a school day to complete the test.

What are the testing requirements for middle school students taking Algebra I, Geometry, or Algebra II?

• Algebra I middle school students will take the Algebra I EOC. Middle school students taking Geometry or Algebra II will take their grade level STAAR assessments. All students grade 3-8 must take a Mathematics assessment per Texas Education Code (TEC) 39.023.

How are the STAAR EOC assessments related to graduation requirements?

• Students must achieve Approaches in English I, English II, Algebra I, Biology, and US History in order to be eligible for graduation. This is just one requirement for graduation. For more information about the additional graduation requirements, see: Graduation Requirements.

How many times can a student retake a STAAR EOC?

• A student may retake an end-of-course assessment as many times as s/he may need to achieve Approaches.

What does the STAAR test?

• The STAAR test assesses the readiness and supporting standards in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.  The STAAR emphasizes "readiness" standards, which are the knowledge and skills that are considered most important for success in the grade or course subject that follows and for college and career. 

What are the benefits of state testing?

• Informs parents and the community of the educational progress of students on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards.
•  Provides a more objective view of instruction and learning. Without assessments, education is a very anecdotal field based on qualitative information.
•  Provides information on an initial basis in order for teachers to teach students according to their needs and expand their areas of 'expertise'.
•  Data doesn’t lie, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. The STAAR is one point of data NISD uses to understand how well instruction leads to learning. It is not the only point of data NISD uses. We believe the STAAR is one piece of the puzzle used to create a whole picture. There are numerous other pieces of the puzzle.

If a parent has concerns regarding his/her child taking a STAAR exam, what should he/she do?

• The first step for a parent who is concerned about his/her child taking the STAAR exam is to contact the campus principal. Most concerns are resolved based upon the conversation between the parent and school. Principals will provide information that often alleviates specific concerns and can clarify possible misconceptions. 

What does Texas Education Code state about opting out of state testing?

• Sec. 26.010. EXEMPTION FROM INSTRUCTION. (a) A parent is entitled to remove the parent's child temporarily from a class or other school activity that conflicts with the parent's religious or moral beliefs if the parent presents or delivers to the teacher of the parent's child a written statement authorizing the removal of the child from the class or other school activity. A parent is not entitled to remove the parent's child from a class or other school activity to avoid a test or to prevent the child from taking a subject for an entire semester.(b) This section does not exempt a child from satisfying grade level or graduation requirements in a manner acceptable to the school district and the agency. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, Sec. 1, eff. May 30, 1995.

Can Northwest ISD choose to opt out students from TEA policy?

• No. Under current TEA policies and state law, local public school district lack the authority to exempt any student from STAAR testing.

What are the implications for students missing school on a state testing date to “opt out”?

• Students are subject to compulsory attendance and may commit the offense of failure to attend school, and a parent may commit the offense of contributing to nonattendance, if the student fails to attend school. (Texas Education Code §§ 25.093, .094)
• Makeup Tests: It is important to note that missing school on a single designated test date will not necessarily cause the student to have missed his or her testing opportunity. Most tests are administered from a testing “window” set by TEA. If a student who has been absent returns to school during the testing window, he or she may be asked to sit for the exam at that time. Makeup test dates that extend beyond the test window are in place for most STAAR tests.

Can a student be present at school, but not take the STAAR exam?

• Students are encouraged to do their best on all tests. All students in a tested grade level that are present at school during the STAAR test for their grade level are included in the test administration. Should a student be present, but not participate in a test, the student’s test will be coded as “S” for “scorable.” Campuses are required to submit a score code for every student.

What are the implications for a student that does not complete the STAAR or STAAR EOC?

A student who does not complete the STAAR exam earns a score of zero, which is unsatisfactory performance on the STAAR. If a student does not perform satisfactorily on STAAR/EOC assessments, the district is required to provide the student with accelerated instruction. Districts can satisfy the accelerated instruction requirement by assigning the student to a classroom teacher who holds certain designations under the local optional teacher designation system or by providing the student with tutoring that meets the statutory requirements (see Tex. Educ. Code § 28.0211 and H.B. 1416.)

High School Graduation: Students must pass the five end-of-course exams or an acceptable substitute in order to graduate, as described above. By local policy, a school district may issue a certificate of coursework completion to a student who successfully completes curriculum requirements but who fails required state assessment tests. Texas Education Code §§28.025(d).

The testing window set by TEA for summer assessments is 6/18/24 to 6/28/24. Specific dates will be determined by the district after Spring STAAR/EOC assessments.

Accessing STAAR Test Results

STAAR test results are available at the Texas Student Assessment Family Portal, located at www.texasassessment.gov.

You can see the following data in the portal:

• Testing history of all your student’s previous scores on any state-level test your student has taken in Texas, including STAAR, STAAR EOC, STAAR ALT, TELPAS and TELPAS ALT.
• Test results of this year’s STAAR tests.
• Detailed results allowing you to see each test question, how your student answered that question, and if your student answered the item correctly.

 
How to obtain your unique access code:

If you do not have the unique access code readily available, there are two ways to locate the access code. The first is through the Texas Education Agency's portal. The second is through your child's Edugence account in the Northwest ISD portal.

Through TEA:

1. Open www.texasassessment.gov
2. Under “More Login Information,” click on the “Lookup unique access code?” link.
3. Complete the information, including student first name, TSDS, and the student's birthdate.

Through Northwest ISD:

1. Log in to your Home Access Center (HAC) account. 
2. Click the Grades tab. 
3. Then choose the Test Scores tab. 
4. Choose the link for either the Spanish or English Texas Student Portal. 

What are the different STAAR Performance levels?

• Masters level (Passing): Students are expected to succeed in the next grade or course with little or no academic intervention. Students in this category demonstrate the ability to think critically and apply the assessed knowledge and skills in varied contexts, both familiar and unfamiliar.  
• Meets level (Passing): Students have a high likelihood of success in the next grade or course but may still need some short-term, targeted academic intervention. Students in this category generally demonstrate the ability to think critically and apply the assessed knowledge and skills in familiar contexts. 
• Approaches level (Passing): Students are likely to succeed in the next grade or course with targeted academic intervention. Students in this category generally demonstrate the ability to apply the assessed knowledge and skills in familiar contexts. 
• Did Not Meet (Not Passing): Students are unlikely to succeed in the next grade or course without significant, ongoing academic intervention. Students in this category do not demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the assessed knowledge and skills.

 
If you have any additional questions, please contact Dr. Melissa DeSimone, executive director of research, accountability and assessment, via email at mdesimone@nisdtx.org or by phone at 817-215-0057.